The House of Representatives has reaffirmed its resolve to enforce full compliance with the mandatory 5% employment quota for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) across all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu made the commitment in Abuja on Wednesday at the Policy Forum on Advancing Workplace Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, organised by the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Describing the exclusion of PWDs as “not just a human rights violation, but economic sabotage,” Kalu stressed that Nigeria cannot build a resilient economy while sidelining millions of skilled citizens. He said the House is shifting “from advocacy to oversight,” empowering the Committee on Disability Matters to demand recruitment records and ensure MDAs comply with the 2018 Disability Act.
Kalu, however, noted that legal enforcement must be matched with a change in organisational culture. He urged CEOs, HR managers, and private sector employers to sign commitment forms at the forum, adopt disability-confident hiring practices, and set measurable inclusion targets. He also commended the Yar’Adua Foundation for hosting the dialogue and announced that recommendations from the forum would be presented to the House before the end of the legislative session.
Director-General of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, Amara Nwankpa, said the objective of the forum was to move “beyond conversation into action,” especially six years after the passage of the Disability Act. He emphasised that PWDs are capable contributors to Nigeria’s workforce and said it is organisations—not PWDs—that must learn how to be inclusive. Nwankpa added that Nigeria does not need new laws but the will to implement existing ones, calling on public, private, and civil society institutions to adopt the full intent of the Act.
He noted growing enthusiasm from development partners and private corporations, describing it as a sign of increasing commitment to workplace inclusion. The Foundation, he added, plans to reconvene on December 3 next year to review progress on the pledges made at the event.
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